Linking structural and functional changes during aging using multilayer brain network analysis
Gwendolyn Jauny1, Mite Mijalkov2, Anna Canal-Garcia2
1Normandie Univ, UNICAEN, PSL Université Paris, EPHE, Inserm, U1077, CHU de Caen, Centre Cyceron, Neuropsychologie et Imagerie de la Mémoire Humaine, 14000, Caen, France.
Communications Biology
|February 28, 2024
Summary
Brain structure and function similarity, especially in parietal and temporal regions, is linked to preserved cognitive performance in healthy aging. This finding offers insights into brain maintenance and compensation mechanisms during aging.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Science
- Aging Research
Background:
- The relationship between brain structure and function is complex and not fully understood.
- Healthy aging involves heterogeneous changes in structural integrity affecting functional network dynamics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between structural and functional brain connectivity patterns.
- To explore how this association relates to cognitive performance in healthy older adults.
Main Methods:
- Utilized multilayer brain network analysis.
- Employed structural (diffusion-weighted imaging) and functional (magnetoencephalography) data from the Cam-CAN database.
Main Results:
- Found a significant association between the similarity of structural and functional connectivity patterns in parietal and temporal regions (alpha frequency band) and cognitive performance.
- Highlighted the impact of structural changes on functional connectivity reorganization.
Conclusions:
- Structural connectivity changes influence functional network reorganization, contributing to cognitive preservation in aging.
- The structure-function link may serve as a marker for individual variability and pathological changes in aging.
